Saint Lucia is conducting its first national training workshop from Tuesday the 17th April 2012 until Thursday the 19th April 2012. The facilitator is Mr. Fred Philips, a UNEP-Regional Advisor. The workshop comprises about twenty persons namely from the Rastafarian Council, the Ministry of Health, the Research and Tissue Culture Sections of the Division of Agriculture, the Fisheries Department, the Forestry Department, the Social Transformation Ministry, the Bureau of Standards, the Information, Marketing and Corporate Planning Units and the Vet and Livestock Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Saint Lucia National Trust, the Bureau of Standards, the Attorney-general's Chambers, the Consumer Affairs Department of the Ministry of Commerce and the Sustainable Development Section of the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology. Ms. Anita James, the National Biosafety Clearing House Focal Point gave participants a review of the BCH 1 project while Mr. Terrence Gilliard, a trained local biotechnologist, instructed the participants on the science of biotechnology, biosafety and their current application in Saint Lucia. The trainees have generally expressed appreciation for the new information that they are learning on the use and importance of the BCH and they especially like the interactive nature of the training exercise. Participants will be presented with certificates of participation on conclusion of the training session. Saint Lucia's Biosafety Implementation Project is soon to come on stream and it is hoped that this training will aid in the equipping of organisations to help the country effectively implement the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
